[07/28/09 - 09:44 AM]'Shante, You Stay!' Logo Announces Online Winner for New Season of 'Rupaul's Drag Race'Season two is slated for an early 2010 premiere on Logo.

[via press release from Logo]

'Shante, You Stay!' Logo Announces Online Winner For New Season of 'RuPaul's Drag Race'

Miami, Florida Local 'Jessica Wild' Chosen as Online Finalist to Compete on Logo's Critically-Acclaimed Hit Reality Competition Series Set to Return Early 2010

NEW YORK, July 28 -- After two months of online voting, Logo has declared a winner on its casting competition site surrounding the next season of its hit series "RuPaul's Drag Race," a World of Wonder Production, starring RuPaul, the world's most famous drag queen. The first-ever reality television show featuring drag queens, Logo's ground-breaking series "RuPaul's Drag Race" is slated for an early 2010 premiere on Logo and LOGOonline.com.

"Jessica Wild" of Miami, Florida was declared the online winner at RuPaulCasting.com in a contest where drag performing hopefuls submitted user-generated videos and photos to the site, campaigning why they deserve a chance to win the title (and tiara) as America's next drag superstar on the upcoming season of "RuPaul's Drag Race." To learn more about "Jessica Wild", go to RuPaulCasting.com.

The online contest kicked off in May 2009 with a video by last year's online winner Nina Flowers urging all drag performing hopefuls to "start their engines" and submit audition videos for RuPaulCasting.com. Flowers proved herself as a formidable competitor and went on to finish as the first season's runner-up.

Now "Jessica Wild" will be one of the next 12 contestants who will be "lip synching for their lives" on the second season of "RuPaul's Drag Race" when RuPaul as well as returning judges fashion journalist and author Merle Ginsberg and Bravo's "Project Runway" fan favorite Santino Rice will decide who deserves to be the next up-and-coming drag queen superstar.

"RuPaul's Drag Race" is produced by World of Wonder Productions with Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato, Tom Campbell and RuPaul Charles serving as Executive Producers and Chris McKim as Co-Executive Producer.

On the first season of "RuPaul's Drag Race," thousands applied but only 9 of the nation's hottest, most glamorous drag queens were chosen to fight for the title of America's next drag queen superstar. Now a new batch of drag performers will have an opportunity to fill RuPaul's high heels and compete for the grand prize.

While "RuPaul's Drag Race" took a look at the outrageous world of drag, it also revealed the courage, perseverance and humanity of 9 men who have overcome and endured the hardships of a masculine dominated society that mocks and makes fun of men who act like women. Not only did viewers get a bird's eye view of what it takes for these chameleons to transform themselves but were also able take away the secrets of the artistry of drag. This second edition will reflect the same hallmarks. As well as the now classic "lip synch for your life" segment. "RuPaul's Drag Race" also inspired RuPaul's new album "Champion."

For more on "RuPaul's Drag Race" Season 1, including full episodes, photos and more, log on to RuPaulsDragRace.com.

ABOUT LOGO

Logo is the world's leading ad-supported cable, satellite, online, mobile and digital entertainment gay and lesbian-themed network, from MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B). Launched in 2005, Logo's cable channel is in more than 39 million homes across the United States and is complemented by a federation of online properties, including LOGOonline.com, TripOutGayTravel.com, AfterEllen.com, AfterElton.com, 365gay.com, DowneLink.com and NewNowNext.com. Logo's content is distributed across all leading download-to-own, streaming and mobile services. The most influential brand for the most influential audience, Logo provides a mix of original and acquired entertainment as well as news, social networking and community building that are authentic, smart, fun, entertaining, and inclusive. Logo joins MTV Networks' roster of popular and highly targeted brands which include MTV, Comedy Central, VH1 and Spike TV.

World of Wonder (WOW) was founded by Randy Barbato and Fenton Bailey in 1990. Since then the company has amassed a library of branded properties across all platforms, including such well known films as Party Monster, The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Inside Deep Throat, and television shows Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood, Million Dollar Listing, and the new Fantasia docu-series debuting in 2010 on VH1 and entertainment blog The WOW Report (www.worldofwonder.net).